Roavic
}} The Roavic (ローヴイック) is a Japanese 4.5×6 folding camera made by Miyoshi Kōgaku from 1940. Description The Roavic is an horizontal folder; the folding struts and the general design are inspired from the Duo Six-20 Series II by Kodak AG. The camera is a successor to the Semi Prux, itself a copy of the Duo Six-20. The optical finder is enclosed in the middle of a chrome top housing. The advance knob is on the right end, as seen by the photographer, and the body release is next to it. The name ROAVIC is engraved above the viewfinder, together with the serial number. There is an accessory shoe on the left, and the folding bed release is just in front of it. There is a rotating depth-of-field dial on the left end. The back is hinged to the left and has two rectangular red windows, protected by a common sliding cover. The name Roavic is also embossed in the back leather, and the inner side of the back is engraved U.L.L., Picture observed in a website that is now offline. indicating that the camera was made by Miyoshi. There is a chrome bottom plate, with a tripod thread in the middle and film flanges at both ends. The lens standard consists of a chrome plate, supporting the lens and shutter assembly. Commercial life The earliest advertisement reported for the Roavic is dated June 1940. , p.343. The official list of set prices compiled in October 1940 and published in January 1941, has a Roavic I for ¥120 and a Roavic II for ¥160, with no further detail. , type 3, sections 5B and 7B. The same two versions also appear in a similar price list dated November 1941, where the camera is attributed to Miyoshi. , type 3, sections 5B and 7B. The camera was featured as a new product in the February 1941 issue of . The column reportedly describes the Roavic I with Parkur-Rapid shutter (T, B, 1–500) and the Roavic II with Parkur shutter (T, B, 5–200). These specifications are not consistent with the official price lists, perhaps because there was a mistake in the magazine. The February 1942 issue of contains an advertisement by Miyoshi Kōgaku for the Roavic. Advertisement reproduced in , p.105. The main text mentions U.L.L. f/4.5 and f/3.5 lenses and a Parkur-Rapid shutter, described as a copy of the Compur-Rapid with five blades. However, the bottom part of the advertisement lists the following versions: * Roavic f/3.5 lens, Lex shutter (T, B, 5–200), ; * f/3.5 lens (perhaps the U.L.L.), Parkur-Rapid shutter (T, B, 1–500), . The Roavic is still mentioned in the April 1943 government inquiry listing Japanese camera production, with the U.L.L. 75/3.5 lens and Parkur-Rapid shutter. , item 64, lens item Lb11, shutter item 18-R-5. The Roavic was produced again after the war as the Apollo and Mikado, made by Sumida. Surviving examples The camera pictured above has a U.L.L. Anastigmat 7.5cm f/3.5 lens and an unidentified shutter giving T, B, 5–200 speeds. It is the oldest example found so far, with serial no.3666. Other surviving cameras have body numbers in the 4xxx and 5xxx range, sometimes with non-standard lens and shutter combinations. At least one camera has a D.K.K. 7.5cm f/3.5 lens on an unidentified shutter. Example observed in an online auction. The lens bezel is merely engraved F=7.5cm 1:3.5 D.K.K. N°51129. Another camera is known with a Nissei Anastigmat 8.0cm f/4.5 lens on a Nissei shutter (T, B, 1–400). Example observed in an online auction. The lens has a very low serial number (either 267 or 287). The shutter is marked NISSEI at the bottom of the rim, and n.m.k. Nissei on a small crescent-shaped plate screwed above the lens. The "n.m.k." initials are found on other Japanese products of the time, but their meaning is currently obscure. The Nissei lens and shutter were probably made in the immediate postwar period, and were perhaps attached on that particular camera as a retrofit. Notes Bibliography Original documents * Type 3, sections 5B and 7B. * Item 64. * Type 3, sections 5B and 7B. Recent sources * Item 333. The Roavic is not listed in . Category: Japanese 4.5x6 viewfinder folding Category: R